SIM MASE: An Integrated Satellite Monitoring and Early Warning System for Oil Spill and Produced Water Management in Italian Seas

Here we present the development of SIM MASE (https://sim.mase.gov.it/portalediaccesso/), an integrated operational platform designed for the Italian Ministry of Environment. Our focus was to develop an integrated set of applications to monitor and mitigate marine pollution in the so-called Vertical 3. The system bridges the gap between complex numerical modeling and stakeholder usability.

Surface hydrocarbon slicks (either oil spill or produced water slicks) are identified by processing satellite images using a neural network, specifically trained for the recognition and semantic segmentation of these events. This object-based approach allows for accurate spatial characterization providing not only their location but also detailed geometric information (area, perimeter, shape), proving robust even in the presence of noise, variable weather and sea conditions, and confounding phenomena.

The hydrocarbon slicks masks generated by the detection module constitute the initial input or validation for a suite of numerical models that simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of the slicks over time.

The modeling takes into account the main environmental forces, such as marine currents, wind, etc., allowing for the prediction of the trajectory, dispersion, and potential impact area. Similarly, the system integrates models dedicated to the dispersion of produced water, allowing for a joint assessment of different scenarios. 

For oil spill modeling we have integrated TAMOC and MEDSLIK-II, allowing users to perform subsurface oil spill modeling and follow its drift in the surface. While produced water modeling we have coupled TAMOC and ChemicalDrift, following the same concept. In the platform there is also available a system to check Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk maps generated from millions of simulations run on HPC systems.

The platform's architecture is based on a containerized environment that ensures high portability, scalability, and reproducibility of the models, facilitating their use in an operational context.The user interface is designed to allow institutional stakeholders to independently launch simulations and consult the results, transforming raw satellite data into forecasts and risk maps to support surveillance and rapid response activities.

SIM MASE demonstrates a successful transition from academic modeling to an operational decision-support system, providing the Italian Ministry with a robust tool for the long-term protection of Mediterranean marine ecosystems.